Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of media players for remotely accessing protected files. In particular, embodiments of this invention relate to enabling a scenario in which a user on a remote device can manage/navigate/search for the user's files on a source device using standard tools and, upon invocation to play a particular file on a source device, offer up a secure, streaming URL by which the source device provides the file to the remote device.
Using traditional file operations, a protected file such as a file controlled by digital rights management (DRM) can only be played on a device, such as a PC, that hosts its license. For example, when a file is to be played by WINDOWS Media Player (WMP), WMP opens the file and tries to play it. In that process, if the file is found to have DRM, then the DRM subsystem is invoked to validate the license. In absence of a valid license on the PC executing WMP, an attempt is made to acquire one for the PC. Because DRM content generally has a small limit as to the number of machines (e.g.: 3) that can be licensed, access by a remote PC is limited. If the file came from a source PC, the source PC likely already has a license. Reuse of the source license is one preferable solution.
At least some operating systems, such as WINDOWS®, have a media streaming service capability such as “WINDOWS® Media Connect” (WMC). WMC permits streaming of content from one device to another, e.g., PC to PC, in a way that does not require stringent licensing rules. This streaming leverages streaming media protocols. These protocols are geared towards playback of content and do not generally permit file operations such as metadata updates, content updates, etc. The content may additionally be encrypted when in transit from one device to another such that only the requesting device can decrypt the content. The content is generally considered “protected” when streamed whereas it is deemed very vulnerable when accessible via file copy protocols (SMB).
While nearly any transfer protocol, such as SMB, HTTP, RTSP, or MMS can be used for both streaming and file copying, copyright holders of the media frequently desire to require the addition of encryption to the protocol as there are numerous programs that create file copies from the presumably “streaming” protocols listed above.
In order to protect the copyright holders of the media, in many cases, contracts stipulate streaming and/or encryption as a mode of remote access.
WINDOWS® users make heavy use of the SMB protocol as part of common applications like the WINDOWS® Explorer shell application. This application lets a user look at files anywhere on their network and manage them. Media that is protected by digital rights management (DRM) may not be played in this scenario for the above cited reasons.